


40 ways to say i love you

by lonelydoctors



Series: idiots in love (sanji and zoro are inevitable) [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Drinking, Drunk Sanji, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Hurt Sanji, Hurt and comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, PTSD, Ways To Say I Love You, also mentions of the mental problems sanji goes through, and much more angst!, come along for the ride, drunk zoro, due to the vinsmokes, i have taken quite a liking to fluff, includes, injured zoro, sanji is not a vinsmoke!, takes place some time before and after the whole cake island arc, this fic also features a tooth-rotting amount of fluff, this fic can also be described as them falling more and more in love, though it's only brief, 中文翻译 | Translation in Chinese available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 11:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19333339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelydoctors/pseuds/lonelydoctors
Summary: “I dreamt about you last night, you know.”(27/40)Zoro stops mid-speech, mouth agape and eye wide open. Sanji looks at him, like what he just said isn't the most ridiculous thing ever, his head cocked to one side, tauntingly, almost as if to say ‘Ha! What do you say to that now, Shitty Swordsman?’Zoro doesn’t say anything.





	40 ways to say i love you

**Author's Note:**

> from [100 ways to say 'i love you'](https://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) from tumblr.  
>   
> update: this story is now also available [in chinese](http://zoedomain.lofter.com/post/1d339336_1c6913141), thanks to the very lovely **Ruoyi**

_there are a million different ways to say ‘i love you’, you just have to listen._

∆∆∆

“It reminded me of you.” _(1/40)_

A fluffy, dark blue winter coat is being thrown at Sanji. Said Cook looks up from his book, coming face to face with the last person he had expected to be standing there in front of him. With his arms crossed in front of his stupid bare chest and a smug grin on his face, Zoro's looking down at Sanji and the coat he apparently just hurled at him. 

“You… – What??? Is this some kind of joke?” Sanji scrambles to his feet, coat in hand, and furiously stares at Zoro in front of him.

“Just put it on, Shit Cook. It’s cold, I saw it in the shops with Nami earlier and thought it’d fit you, that’s all.” Zoro tuts, annoyed at the other’s response, and rolls his eye.

To be fair, it is quite literally _freezing_ on this island and if there's anything Sanji hates with a passion, it's the cold. And the coat _does_ look very warm and welcoming.

Damn it. If Nami-San was with Zoro, this… gift was probably more from her than from Zoro anyway and Sanji would never even dream of rejecting the gift of a lady.

Sanji huffs and starts putting on the coat while the irritating Mosshead just continues standing there, staring at him, like he expects him to say thanks or something. After zipping it up, Sanji takes a drag of his cigarette and takes his time blowing the smoke into the cold winter air. 

“Why’d you get it, though?” The question escapes Sanji’s lips before he can stop himself

“No reason.” _(2/40)_ Zoro shrugs and turns to leave and Sanji furrows his brows. What's that supposed to mean? Since when does Zoro give such vague answers?

“Looks good on you, though.” _(3/40)_ Sanji isn't sure if he imagined the words but before he could say anything in return, Zoro was gone.

Sanji’s furrowed brows deepen.

+++++++

It's a rare occasion, to say the least. With Sanji having caught the flu somewhere, he's in absolutely no state to cook, so naturally someone else has to step in, lest the crew die from starvation. It is, however, in no way natural that the one stepping in is none other than the extremely ill mannered and rough Zoro. 

Sanji's furious at first, refusing to let that brute anywhere near his precious kitchen, yelling about Zoro poisoning all of them with his non existent brains. 

He is very sick, though, and after some time he eventually admits defeat, giving up the fight and letting himself drift into a much needed sleep. He just hopes the Stupid Swordsman wouldn’t destroy his kitchen.

Upon waking up, Sanji finds himself starving. The smell of food paired with the sound of laughter woke him up and he shakily makes his way into the kitchen, only to find the whole crew gathered around the table with Zoro doing what seem to be the finishing touches to the dish. 

_‘This, surprisingly, doesn’t smell completely horrible. And his kitchen also seems to still be in one piece. When, and how, did that Oaf even learn how to cook?’_ The thought is gone just as quick as it came and Sanji goes to join Zoro at the kitchen counter. “I’ll take it from here, Marimo, you sit down with the others.”

Zoro turns around, surprised at Sanji’s voice, and grins as he shoves him away. “No. No, it’s my treat.” _(4/40)_

+++++++

It is _infuriating._

How Zoro could walk around like that, all messy and dishevelled is beyond Sanji. Doesn't he care about appearance at least a little bit? Well, Sanji answers his own question, considering he walks around most of the time _without a shirt on_ he really probably doesn’t give a damn.

When Zoro once again passes by Sanji who's standing at the railing, he just can't help himself any longer. Blame his need for order, his sense of style, the fact that there are ladies around or whatever, it just needs to be _done._

“Come here. Let me fix it.” _(5/40)_ He grabs Zoro by the arm, forcing him stop in his tracks and Zoro glares at him irritatedly. He doesn't stop Sanji from fixing the belt on his Yukata, though. 

“There, all done. Now go.” Sanji waves his hand in the air dismissively, turns the other way and exhales a cloud of smoke. “Stupid Marimo, always looking ridiculous.” 

+++++++

“Be careful!” _(6/40)_ Sanji yells from aboard the Sunny, waving after the group who just took off to explore the island, his eyes fixed on Zoro. “All of you,” he adds, for good measure.

After some time of peace and quiet on the Sunny, which is a welcoming change for once, Sanji stretches himself out on the deckchair, enjoying the warm sunlight on his face. He prepared plenty of dishes already and even some special desserts for the crew’s return and grins, just imagining their delight at devouring them. He used a new recipe, that he never really had the time to try out before. Just as he's about to light himself a cigarette, the transponder snail next to him rings. 

“Hello?”

“Oi. Shit Cook… Is there anybody on the Sunny? You know… besides you.”

It's Zoro. Sanji leans back again and takes his time releasing the smoke into the air, before answering, “Of course not, they left with you. Aren’t you with them? Don’t tell me you got lost _again?_ ”

Zoro growls at Sanji’s taunting tone but after a few seconds of silence, he admits that he did, in fact, get separated from the group and can’t seem to find his way back to the Sunny. He’s been trying for a few hours already, apparently.

Sanji stubs out his cigarette and sighs. “Stay there. I’m coming to get you.” _(7/40)_

+++++++

He just _had_ to play the hero and take on all the enemies himself. It's so reckless, irresponsible and dangerous and _so totally Zoro_ , it makes Sanji’s throat tighten.

Which led to the current situation of Zoro being unconscious in the infirmirary and Sanji standing in the doorway, eyes trained on the slow rise and fall of Zoro's chest. It is quite unusual, Sanji thinks to himself, that he can't see the scar on Zoro's chest. The bandages wrapped around the whole of his body really didn’t do much for him.

—

It's close to midnight when the door to the kitchen slowly opens and Sanji jolts awake. Zoro's standing in the doorway, the moonlight behind him bathing his face in shadows and his body in darkness and Sanji has to blink a few times to confirm that it is, in fact, not a dream. 

“Didn’t expect. You to. Be awake.” Zoro’s voice sounds strained and, quite honestly, terrible and Sanji's not sure if Zoro should even be awake, let alone walking and talking.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Sanji scolds. 

“Hungry,” is all Zoro responds before he makes his way over to the counter and Sanji can't help but notice his limping left leg and the way his breathing rasps and hitches with every step he takes. 

“Sit down,” Sanji orders suddenly and stands up. “I saved a piece for you. From lunch.” _(8/40)_ A flicker of surprise passes over Zoro’s face. ”You saved. _Food. _From Luffy?”__

____

____

Sanji can't help but grin. “Well, it is your favourite, after all, Idiot.” _(9/40)_

—

They sit together in silence, Sanji lighting his fifth unfinished cigarette and Zoro eating his meal so slowly it takes him hours to finish a plate and it's _so unlike Zoro_ that it makes Sanji’s throat tighten.

With the scraping sound of a chair being dragged across the floor, Zoro stands up and puts his dishes in the sink ( _‘For God’s sake, why doesn’t he just let him do it, that Idiot can barely walk.’_ ) and makes his way out the door when Sanji’s mouth once again develops a mind of its own.

“Where are you going?”

Zoro stops and turns around to look at him. “Out. Fresh air.” He gestures to the sky with his good arm and turns around again.

“At least put some clothes on. It’s freezing outside.” _(10/40)_ Zoro makes a sound that can only be described as a chuckle – if one were to entertain that possibility. “Don’t worry. ‘Bout me. ‘m fine.” (11/40) 

Sanji feels his face getting hot and thanks the Gods that Zoro's facing the other way right now because he did not expect his body to betray him like that. “I’m not worried, Idiot!”

—

It is a very unusual situation, to say the least.

Zoro and Sanji are sitting side by side at the railing, looking up at the sky and the stars and the moon, only the sound of breathing disrupting the cold silent night. One steady and strong, the other shaky and strained.

After a while, Sanji feels Zoro next to him stirring. He doesn't care to look, though.

“Could do with. Some booze. Right now,” is all he says as he tries getting up.

“Sit down. I’ll get it.” _(12/40)_

+++++++

Zoro is a lot heavier than he expected. Of course, Sanji didn’t expect him to be a lightweight with the amount of training he does and all this muscle and… that is definitely not what he should be thinking about right now. He needs to focus on getting a very drunk and very much asleep Zoro back to bed right now, or Chopper will surely kill him in the morning. 

He finally manages to open the door to the infirmary and carries Zoro inside with a grunt when he notices that Zoro opened his eye, blinking dazedly at him.

“Go back to sleep,” _(13/40)_ Sanji urges him, trying to not put any pressure on Zoro’s wounds while carrying him to bed.

“Don’ mind,” _(14/40)_ is all Zoro slurs in response.

Sanji clicks his tongue and finally manages to lay Zoro down on the bed, panting slightly from the exhaustion. Drunk Zoro definitely isn't cooperative. He lights himself another cigarette, ignoring the green haired man’s gaze fixed on him and decided to busy himself by cleaning away a few bottles and re-organising the desk area.

“Was jus'… thinkin’… ‘Bout you.” Sanji freezes mid-motion and doesn't dare move or breathe, for fear of cutting himself on the tension that suddenly fills the room. 

He will absolutely _never_ let Zoro get this drunk again while injured. It does weird things to him.

Sanji inhales shakily and laughs bitterly. “Of course, you Idiot, I just carried you to your room, after you passed out on me.”

_‘How dare you say stuff like that when you won’t even know a thing in the morning?’_

—

After Zoro falls asleep, which, unsurprisingly, didn’t take him all that long, Sanji can’t help but remain standing at his bedside, indulging himself. His gaze travels from the steadily rising and falling chest, over the stupid green moss hair, which seemed to shimmer in the faint light, to the closed eye, the scar over his missing eye and the slightly parted lips and if he were to be completely honest with himself right now, Zoro really just is – “Beautiful,” Sanji swallows. “I think you’re beautiful.” (15/40). Sanji's eyes glisten faintly as he turns around, exiting the room and stubbing his cigarette out on the way. Nobody will ever know.

+++++++

“Wow.” _(16/40)_ is all Zoro thinks when Sanji returns from Whole Cake Island with the rest of the crew, finally joining them on Wano. Even Zoro can see that Sanji's outfit was very extravagant, practically screaming royalty and perfectly tailored to his body, accentuating it in all the best ways. Zoro does a double take before regaining his composure and giving a quick nod to the returnees. He closes his eye again, trying – and failing – not to think about the aching in his chest.

—

“I’m sorry for your loss.” _(17/40)_ Zoro doesn't quite know everything that happened while Sanji was away and what the whole deal with his family is, but he's got the desperate need to say something, _anything_ to Sanji after he returned to them.

Zoro could feel Sanji tense up at his words. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

“Shitty Swordsman. Idiot,” Sanji hisses through gritted teeth. "I don’t know what loss you’re even talking about and if you had any brains left in that _stupid_ Mosshead of yours, you’d know not to talk about things you have absolutely no knowledge of. Nobody died, alright?” Sanji takes a long drag of his cigarette and Zoro notices the way his fingers grip the cigarette as if it were his lifeline. “And even if they did die, I wouldn’t need any sympathy for it. You don’t know them. You don’t get to say that about them. Nobody does.” His knuckled turn white. “I don’t want to talk about them ever again. And if anyone so much as mentions the name… _Vinsmoke_ around me, I will not hesitate to…” he stops talking, breathing shakily.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… upset you,” _(18/40)_ Zoro offers lamely, realising that Sanji is hurting way more than he let on. There's so much more he wants to say, he wants to tell him that what he doesn't know Sanji could tell him, he wants to tell him that he will gladly listen to everything he to say, that he's so much more than his relatives, but instead all he can do is take another swig out of his bottle. The silence between them grows longer and heavier and Zoro thinks that he's never been good with words.

It feels weird, Sanji notes. This silence between them. Never did he imagine Zoro and himself to be standing next to each other, not fighting or arguing, just… enjoying each other’s company in a sense. Sanji feels his tensed body relax with each breath and he wonders when his body had started to react this way to Zoro's presence. Silence, yes, but the good kind of silence, the one that was calming and comforting and if Sanji were to choose, he wouldn’t want to be with anyone else right now.

“Here, drink this. You’ll feel better.” _(19/40)_

Sanji suddenly finds Zoro’s extended arm in front of his face, interrupting his thoughts. He blinks a few times, startled. Is Zoro really offering him some of his booze right now? 

“I… I’m not sure that would…” he starts but is interrupted before he can finish the sentence.

“Try some,” _(20/40)_ Zoro insists. _‘It’s what I always do when life’s shit,’_ he wants to say. _‘You need a break Sanji, you’ve dealt with a lot.’_ He doesn't say any of that.

Sanji eyes the bottle in Zoro's hand wearily, pondering his options. One drink won't hurt, will it? And he definitely could use it right now.

“You sure? It _is_ yours, after all…” Sanji remarks sceptically, knowing how possessive the other gets over his booze.

“We can share.” _(21/40)_ Zoro doesn't look at Sanji but the tone of his voice takes him by surprise. This whole situation feels very strange, almost unreal and Sanji’s thoughts threaten to, once again, go astray, so he quickly takes the bottle from Zoro and drinks.

—

“I did the dishes.” _(22/40)_ Zoro cuts the silence between them, quick and clean like a sword, and Sanji passes the bottle back to him. “You know… while you were away.” Zoro takes a sip and exhales loudly.

Sanji doesn't quite know what to say to that. Is he supposed to praise him for that? Apologise for being a useless good-for-nothing and leaving the crew on their own?

“Wasn’t the same, though,” Zoro goes on. “I don’t know really, what happened between you and your… _them_ , but I want you to know that… you’re important… to the crew. And to me.” _(23/40)_

Zoro stops drinking and his eye is fixed on the sea, on something far away, and Sanji didn't think he’d ever see Zoro so deep in thought.

Suddenly he snaps out of it, clears his throat and stands up, leaving Sanji alone with the bottle of alcohol they shared and the empty space next to him. As he goes to leave, Zoro turns around once more. “Anyways, welcome back, Shitty Cook. And don’t drink all the booze.”

+++++++

Zoro wakes up to the sound of something falling (because contrary to popular belief, he’s actually a very light sleeper, his sense of duty keeping him on constant alert). He sits upright and listens more closely. It sounds like the noise is coming from Sanji's room and after a few minutes of debating whether he should check up on him, Zoro grunts and gets out of bed. Maybe the Idiot is hurt or something.

The door to Sanji’s bedroom is ajar and Zoro puts his hand on the handle.

“Oi. Cook. Can I come in?” _(24/40)_

“’s okay. Couldn’ sleep anyway,” _(25/40)_ comes the response and Zoro immediately knows that Sanji is drunk. 

He enters the room and after his eye adjusted to the darkness, he finds Sanji sitting on his bed, hugging his body like he wants to keep it from falling apart, shaking violently. Sanji notices him and his gaze turns towards him, blue eyes blown wide and Zoro doesn't think he’d ever see the other look so vulnerable and unguarded.

“Migh’ ‘ave drank… too much…” Sanji slurs his words and his eyes glisten.

“I noticed,” _(26/40)_ Zoro replies drily, referring to the awful state Sanji is in. After a few seconds, he starts talking again. “I know I’m… probably not the person you want to talk to but… if you want to… you know… talk about –“

“I dreamt about you last night, you know.” _(27/40)_

Zoro stops mid-speech, mouth agape and eye wide open. Sanji looks at him, like what he just said isn't the most ridiculous thing ever, his head cocked to one side, tauntingly, almost as if to say ‘Ha! What do you say to that now, Shitty Swordsman?’ 

Zoro doesn’t say anything.

—

“Stay over.” _(28/40)_

There's a kind of desperation in Sanji's voice and a pleading in his eyes that reminds Zoro of a scared child after a nightmare. “Are you sure?” _(29/40)_ He knows Sanji's hurting right now and could probably do with the support. He also knows that Sanji's dead drunk right now.

Zoro eyes the other insistently, looking for… actually, he doesn't quite know what he's looking for. Perhaps some indication that Sanji's aware of who he's asking to stay the night? Some reassurance that it's okay for him to feel this way after being asked that question?

“Ye’… Is enough room fo’ both o’ us.” _(30/40)_

Zoro takes one last look at the shivering, shaking mess before him and with a sigh, he awkwardly climbs into bed with Sanji.

“U’re warm,” _(31/40)_ Sanji murmurs as he immediately shuffles closer to Zoro, wrapping his arms around the other and squeezing so tight, Zoro can feel Sanji's nails digging into his skin. It doesn't hurt, though, at least not more than the twinge in his chest, when he notices that Sanji's crying.

+++++++

Sanji's stood on deck, watching the sea again. Zoro noticed Sanji doing that quite often nowadays, just standing there looking into the distance.

After watching for a few seconds from afar, Zoro walks up to Sanji with determination in his eye, the cold air of the night hitting his face. The drunken incident is burned into his memory and he can do nothing but let it replay in his mind over and over and over again.

“Can I join you?” _(32/40)_

Sanji jumps at the sudden voice but after realising it's Zoro, he turns around to face the sea again and lights himself a cigarette. “It doesn’t bother me.” _(33/40)_

There's silence at first, the kind of silence that's reserved to the both of them. Calming, yet tense. Quiet, yet roaring. Zoro decides to break that silence.

“Do you… Are you… You know when you were…“ Zoro's struggling for words and he feels Sanji getting more and more agitated with every word (because _‘What could the stupid Swordsman possibly be trying to say, he never has any trouble just blurting his thoughts out.’_ ). He stops speaking and his gaze travels to Sanji's hands, still holding his half-burnt cigarette, unused.

“Can I hold your hand?” _(34/40)_

Sanji’s breath catches in his throat and he stops breathing. “Why?” he asks and it almost sounds scared.

“Just because.” _(35/40)_

Silence.

Instead of answering him, Sanji suddenly takes Zoro’s hand in his, which is surprisingly a lot softer than he expected it to be, and feels his whole body relax at the touch of his hand. He can’t quite pinpoint when being with Zoro became so _easy_.

“Can I kiss you?” _(36/40)_

Sanji doesn’t stop breathing this time and a voice in the back of his mind taunts him for not being surprised because he'd been asking himself that same question, for quite some time now. He dismisses it.

Zoro’s gaze is fixed on him, searching his face for a clue, a hint, _anything_ and Sanji knows. 

Sanji leans forward and his lips hover over Zoro's. “You didn’t have to ask, Idiot,” _(37/40)_ he whispers before he brings their lips together, surprised at how gentle the other’s lips are against his.

After they part, they just study each other’s faces for what feels like hours, hands still intertwined, standing so close to that one might mistake them for a single person in the darkness of the night.

“I’m just… really glad to be back here, you know… I missed you, Marimo.” _(38/40)_

Zoro doesn’t say anything and after a few minutes of total silence and still no response from the other, Sanji feels himself get more and more uneasy and maybe he just interpreted it all wrong, and maybe Zoro doesn’t feel the same way, and maybe – 

“You don’t have to say anything. It can wait until tomorrow,” _(39/40)_ he excuses himself and tries to go back to the safety of his room. 

Suddenly the Swordsman grabs his arm and when Sanji turns around, he finds Zoro grinning at him.

“I love you.” _(40/40)_

∆∆∆

_what would you do_

_if i told you that i la, la, la, la, loved you?_

**Author's Note:**

> the quote at the end is from the song "la la" by the cab.  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated and you can always talk to me about one piece on my [tumblr](https://lonelydoctors.tumblr.com)! :D


End file.
